Megaphones have been used for quite some time both as functional devices in the workplace as well as recreational devices employed in such venues as sporting events and the like. Acoustically, a megaphone, generally shaped as the frustum of a cone, is capable of acoustically amplifying a user 's voice which can have significant practical benefits. In the workplace, a foreman or other worker wishing to project a command over a long distance above background ambient noise, might employ a megaphone for that purpose. Not only the human voice but also signals, whistles and tones can be amplified by using such a device in order to signal commands to others.
When attending a sporting event, such as a football game, supporting a favorite team, disparaging its opposition and expressing pleasure or displeasure over a referee's call can all benefit from the use of a megaphone. However, both in the workplace as well as at sporting venues, many potential users of megaphones decide to forego using them simply because megaphones are large and bulky and are simply too difficult to cope with as a result.
In addition, as more and more products are produced offshore and generally in Asian countries, the cost of transporting manufactured products can represent a substantial component of the overall cost of goods. Providing a product which can be shipped in a planar, two dimensional state to enable a shipper to maximize packing density is certainly desirable resulting in an overall improvement in manufacturing economy.
Finally, whether at a sporting event, workplace or virtually any other venue excessive temperatures particularly in the summer months, oftentimes necessitate the need for a fan. Thus, a goal in conceiving of the present invention is to provide a device which could not only be used as a megaphone, but also, because of its two dimensional collapsible orientation, can be grasped by a user and employed as a fan-like device.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a collapsible megaphone device which, when not used, can assume a planar two dimensional orientation convertible to a three dimensional megaphone device at will while returning, once again to its planar configuration at the whim of a user.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a collapsible megaphone device which, when not in use, is capable of hanging from a user's neck and against a user's chest only to be converted into a megaphone by simply applying pressure to its edges and without the need to construct the megaphone each time it is to be employed.
These and further objects will be more readily apparent when considering the following disclosure and appended claims.